Buying a print washer

I am in the UK and have been monitoring used print washers on ebay. They seem to go for an awfully high amount (usually well over £100). I have therefore decided to buy a new one rather than pay almost new prices with no guarantees or warranty. I need a 12x16.

My question is that I am tempted by the Paterson as it is not only the cheapest by a significant margin, but also holds 12 prints at a time which is a lot more than many of the others. Is it worth getting the Paterson at this price or would it be better and spend a bit more for a Nova or Silverprint model? What are you paying for with the more expensive models?

The more expensive models usually have individual print slots so that prints already in the washer are not contaminated by those coming in from the fixing bath. I think the Paterson doesn't have this facility.
Also some have a 'rapid dump' facility where by raising a gate empties the total wash water in a few seconds. This rids the washer of fixer laden water which occurs in the first few minutes of a wash when the print is heavily saturated with fixer.

I have a Nova Washmaster, which I think in very good, works well and is as good as the day I brought it about 10 years ago. I remember reading that the Paterson major would not always work properly with 16x12 FB paper as it was a fraction small for the swollen paper. May be someone else could confirm their experience with this unit.

I am in the UK and have been monitoring used print washers on ebay. They seem to go for an awfully high amount (usually well over £100). I have therefore decided to buy a new one rather than pay almost new prices with no guarantees or warranty. I need a 12x16.

My question is that I am tempted by the Paterson as it is not only the cheapest by a significant margin, but also holds 12 prints at a time which is a lot more than many of the others. Is it worth getting the Paterson at this price or would it be better and spend a bit more for a Nova or Silverprint model? What are you paying for with the more expensive models?

Thanks in advance for any advice/comments.

If its any help,

I have a silverprint 6 slot 20x16 washer. It was pricey but it is extremely well built, keeps each slot entirely separate so there is no chemical crossover and has a dump facility. In the past I've had some nova equipment and the build quality was not as good or solid but I have no experience of the particular models you have listed.

I use Paterson major in a way that I fill it with water, put each print in it after processing and when I finish printing session from that moment I start water to flow into washer and wash about 1 hour. So, last processed print is in washer and activly washed atleast for 1 hour and prints before last are already in washer soaked in water. So, even if last processed print do contaminate earlier processed prints I wash all prints atleast 1 hour, so all prints are properly washed at the end...

About Dave's remark, I measured (still didn't wash 30x40cm paper in washer) inside dimensions of Paterson major washer (that is paper basket dimensions and inside wall dimensions) when I got it, and as I can remember there is about 1 or two centimeters more space than paper size (at both lenght and width/height). I remember after measuring I thought it will be OK for 30x40cm paper. But, as I didn't actually wash 30x40cm paper yet, take these words with reserve...

I thought first to buy Nova, but Paterson was what I could afford, Nova was expencive for me...

Oh, and I still can't belive how small water flow is needed when washer is in function

Last edited by haris; 03-27-2008 at 04:56 PM. Click to view previous post history.

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Thanks everyone. I thought of making my own washer, but it is not that easy to make a big one. And I haven't figured out a good way to keep the slots independent like many of the commercial washers. I have read good and bad things about the Paterson and I think it is probably better to get one that keeps the prints completely separate. So I think I will check out the Silverprint and Nova models. I haven't come across Versalab in the UK, but I will do a search for that.